Also the Queens back garden, these beautiful grounds are great for a Sunday stroll to see the pelicans or to feed the squirrels. Duck Island Cottage is worth a look too, a idyllic little cottage situated in the grounds which was specially built as the bird keepers home.

Netil360 is a great roof terrace bar near London Fields in East London. It is situated on top of an ex-Hackney Council Building. We were one of the first design studios to move into the building while it was still being converted into a creative hub. It is great to see that this place is still vibrant. It definitely has one of the best all around views of East London. I took this picture (facing South) in the summer of 2018. It shows the gasworks near The Oval Space in the mid-ground and the Shard as part of the London skyline.

The Barbican has so much to offer! From beautiful architecture, to a conservatory, amazing art, films, music and performances. It is such an exciting and relaxing place to hang out. Even if you don't have a purpose for visiting the Barbican, it's good for just having a tea with a friend. 

A beautiful and spacious (outside of rush hour) way to get from Highbury, through east London to south of the river in minutes. The train snakes epically through Hoxton and Shoreditch and opens up the Jubilee Line via the beautiful Canada Water / Bermondsey stations.

Half a mile from Markfield Park down the River Lee is Springfield Park. The park rises steeply up from the river and has an amazing array of tree species making it beautiful in all seasons. At the brim of the hill there is a line of park benches each one surrounded by box hedge offering a private view across the Lee Valley, Walthamstow and beyond. The park warden was nice enough to give me a chestnut log a couple of years ago from which I carved a bench and two stools.